More Fair Winds and Following Seas
by MarineMom
Summary: The Coin Toss is over and Harm and Mac are getting married.You'll just have to hang on for the ride to find out where they will be going...The characters belong to DPB,he's just letting them play in my sandbox for a little while.
1. Chapter 1

More Fair Winds and Following Seas

Saturday Morning

It was a warm spring Saturday morning as Sarah Mackenzie bounced down the steps of her apartment. She could not believe how beautiful the weather was, as she tossed the last of her bags into the back seat of the silver SUV. She knew someone was watching her, she could feel it. The thought of being watched like that almost scared her. She turned slowly to find a tall, very handsome man standing at the top of the steps, flashing one of the biggest smiles she thought she would ever see, and she smiled back. That huge 'Flyboy' grin belonged to her. Every time she thought about, though it, she would shudder, just a little, as a tiny thought of "What If" crept through her mind.

'What if this is only a dream and I wake up in San Diego?' That thought had gone through her mind more than once that Saturday morning. What if he changes is mind about all this, what if I change my mind, what if…? What if…? No she couldn't,wouldn't

think that way any longer. That big Sailor was hers now, and she was his. That was all that mattered.

"Hey, Ninja Girl!" came that strong, warm voice. She looked up to see that huge grin, beaming at her. She knew he had not been that happy in a long while. But now all she saw was that smile that would melt her heart. Did she have a right to be this happy?

"Earth to Mac, earth to Mac!" he spoke from the door of the apartment building.

"Do you have your dress, Marine?" he asked, as he laid the suit bag that held his Dress Whites in the back of the SUV.

"We have three hours to get to the chapel. Chaplain Turner called in some real favors to get us the Academy Chapel for 1400."Harm grabbed her arm and spun her toward him, wrapping his strong arms around her. He would have been more than happy to exchange their vows in the JAG courtroom, but the Academy Chapel in Annapolis? That had been Mac's idea.

She wanted a military wedding, even if it was only going to be a very few close, personal friends and family. Harm had called Trish and Frank, his mother and step-father, in LaJolla the night before. They had gotten a private jet to D.C. where the Admiral was picking them up at the airport and would drive them to Annapolis. Bud was to be Best Man and Harriet, the Matron of Honor, Admiral Chegwidden would give the bride away and Chaplain Turner was officiating the service. The Honor Guard would include Sturgis, Mikey, General Cresswell, the Admiral, and the Gunny, who just happened to be in Washington at the time. True, it was not the typical Honor Guard, but Harm and Mac were not the typical couple.

Mac had wanted Chloe and Mattie to be able to attend,but,Chloe's travel arrangements could not be made fast enough to get her to Washington, and Mattie's health was still too fragile for her to leave the hospital.Tiner and Coates had handled the logistics to that 'little problem'. They were going to 'borrow' a video feed from the office and were going to transmit live pictures to Chloe and Mattie by way of TV.

"Two hours, fifty-six minutes.Flyboy." Mac said. Harm just shook his head. After all these years, he still found Mac's ability to tell time so accurately very discomforting. He opened the driver's door to the SUV, gave her a little peck on the cheek and pushed her into the vehicle. It had become natural for Mac to drive when the two of them went anywhere together. Harm got into the passenger seat, flashed her a big smile and said,

"You're the pilot today,dear.Do you know where you are going, or do you need a navigator?"

"I've been planning this trip for a long time…"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 'I've been planning this trip for a long time…'

'I've been planning this for a long time…' He'd heard her say that. He grinned to himself as he looked out the passenger window. He'd thought about this moment for a long time, but to think that Mac had shared those same dreams for so many years made him absolutely beam. He reached out his hand to gently caress hers as she steered the SUV. She looked over at him, just a flicker of a smile in her eyes. Those chocolate eyes he could practically melt in were now his. But he had to ask…

"So how long have you been planning this, Marine?" he said in that playful tone he always used when he was baiting her. Not that he really needed the question answered. She had given him the answer he had needed the night before when she told him she would marry him. And if she chose not to answer he would not force the issue.

"And how long have you been saving that dress that was in your living room?" he asked her in his most 'serious' teasing voice.

"I'll have you know, Captain Rabb, that dress was a gift from Harriet and Bud," she responded. She glanced over at him to see a very puzzled look on his face. He was having trouble grasping that idea, and she could see it all over his face. She was going to have fun with this.

"A gift…how did they do that? I can understand Harriet knowing your size and all, but the stores were all closed by the time they knew what we were doing. Something's not right about this. Harriet has always been really good about pulling off some really…Do I really want to know the answer to all this?" He could tell there was going to be a really good story here. There always was when Harriet and Bud were involved.

Mac just shook her head and smiled at him before she answered. "Suffice it to say, Harriet has been holding on to the dress for a long time…she bought it when I was TAD on the Guadalcanal. Something about you telling Bud that you tried to tell me that you would give up Renee for me. She said she knew that once we finished our 'dance', our wedding plans would be the same tornado that our 'courtship' had been. So she took it upon herself to have a few things prepared for us." Mac looked at Harm with just a hint of tears in her eyes as she smiled at him. He reached over and wiped that one small tear from her eye, smiling at her as he did so.

"And what would she have done if we never stopped 'dancing'?" Harm asked with a disbelieving grin coming across his face. He ran both his hands through his hair, leaned his head back against his seat and started to laugh. Not a quiet little laugh, but one full of understanding, the understanding that his little family at JAG had struggled along with both he and Mac as they struggled with their relationship over the years. "They knew all along, didn't they, Sweet Thing? They knew that we were always supposed to be together."

"They hoped, Harm.I think they must have had enough faith for both of us. And Harriet said a lot of prayers." Mac looked down at the fuel gauge on the instrument panel and shook her head. "And talking about prayers, we'd better stop for gas soon or we'll be needing some more answered prayers to get us to the chapel. Do you ever check the fuel in this thing, or do you just wait until I'm the one driving?"

Harm looked at her lovingly, shrugged his shoulders and sheepishly replied, "I like pumping gas for my wife?"

"I'm not yet, but you can still pump the gas while I go in and get a couple of cold drinks.Oh, Husband, I need some money." She leaned over, kissing him coyly, as she pulled his wallet from the console between the front seats. "Diet Coke, right?" she asked as she thumbed through the cash in his wallet. "I think I like this 'married' stuff already," she smiled at him over her shoulder as she walked into the store.

When Mac walked out the front door of the store, she found him sitting behind the steering wheel. "Hey, Harm, I thought I got to drive?"

He just flashed her a 'Flyboy' grin and replied, "Wife, you are now in for the ride of you life…"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 ' Wife, you are now in for the ride of your life…'

Mac couldn't help but smile at him when she punched his shoulder as she slid into the passenger seat. "Hey, what was that for?" Harm asked with a look of surprise on his face.

Mac leaned across the console, brushed her lips across his, and whispered softly in his ear. "Because I can." Harm thought he was going to suffocate when she did that. Having her this close; she was right; he would let her do almost anything now they were together. He rather liked the way they would tease and torment each other.She crossed her arms across her chest and pouted a little, just a little. "I was supposed to drive", she commented.

"We need to make a little detour and then you can have the wheel again, Marine",

Harm smiled as he pulled out onto the street. He drove a couple of blocks and pulled into a little shop off the main thoroughfare. He got out of the SUV, walked around to Mac's side of the vehicle and opened the door for her, flashing that killer grin of his. What is he up to now; wondered Mac...He always seemed to have something up his sleeve. "Come on, Mac. This is where the 'ride of your life' begins."

The sign in the window read 'The Scrap Heap'. As Harm reached for the door, Mac gave him a very puzzled look. "Harm, what is this? What are you doing stopping at a junk store? We don't have time for this! We have got to get to Annapolis. Are you going to be late for…?"

"Stow it, Marine," Harm interrupted, as he opened the door, gently pushing her through with his other hand. Once in the shop, Mac realized this was not a junk shop, but a quaint little stationary store. She still had no idea what they were doing here. What was Harm thinking, anyway? "Mac," Harm whispered into her ear, "when Mattie was so sick and I thought I might lose her, I started thinking about all the times we could have lost each other. I realized the only photo memory we had of each other was the picture from Afghanistan. I wanted you to have something to remember 'us'. Before last night, I was going to send it to you once you reached San Diego."

Mac looked at her soon-to-be husband and asked, "What is this?" The expression on Harm's face was at once tender and playful, His eyes were wistful, almost sad and amused at the same moment. She wondered what he was thinking. He nodded to the lady and she placed a large leather-bound book on the counter. On the cover were both the Navy and Marine Corps seals.

"Mac, I told you I was taking on the 'ride of your life' .Actually, I was told this is the 'ride of our life'. Open it, Sweet Thing." Harm put his arm around her waist as he moved closer to her. The older woman in the store smiled a knowing smile at the both of them. Mac turned the cover back on the book to find the words 'In the beginning was 'The Dance…' beautifully hand-written on the page. As she turned the page, tears started to fill her eyes. The next page was titled 'The Rose Garden'. A picture of their first meeting, in the Rose Garden of the White House was beautifully displayed on the page. "A lot of people helped me find pictures of the last nine years, Gunny, Jen and Tiner. Even Catherine at the CIA…you'd be surprised where some of these came from."

Mac turned pages of the book, gently caressing some of the pictures as she studied them. "And you had this done for me?"

"Yeah, Mom told me about this little shop that could do what I wanted. I don't know much about this 'scrapbook' stuff. But this nice lady told me all I needed to do was write down what I wanted each page to say. She could take care of the rest. I didn't want

you to forget about 'us' when you went to San Diego. Do you like it?"

"I love it, Harmon Rabb", she said as she turned the pages, carefully taking in the pictures she found there. She slowly turned back to the picture of the Rose Garden. In the caption balloon was written 'Your Uncle Matt asked you where you found this Sailor, and you replied, "In a rose garden, Uncle Matt".' "I can't believe that you remembered that. That was the first time we worked together."

"Yeah, well I've remembered a lot of things you've said," Harm flashed her that big smile again. "I'll tell you some of them one of these days. But we have a wedding to attend, or; do you want the guests to arrive before we do?" Mac picked up the scrapbook as Harm handed the lady money.

The lady shook her head and said, "No thank you sir, it was taken care of this morning. But Mr. Burnett said I am supposed to tell you 'you took your damn time, son.'

She rolled her eyes and smiled "That's what he said, Commander."

"It's now Captain Rabb," said Mac, as she cradled the scrapbook in her arms. "Thank you for the beautiful book. I love it."

"Honey, it was one of the easiest and most enjoyable books I have ever put together. It was like the book was meant to be. You must be very special to that man. You are all he ever talked about when he came in here. You take care of him, you hear?" the little woman told Mac.

Mac looked at her and smiled, "I plan to Ma'am, for the rest of our lives. Now he just has to get us to the church on time."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Where Are We Going Now, Mac?

They walked out the door of the small shop, Harm's hand against the small of her back. This had become such a habit with them. Harm just seemed to need the contact with her body. He wasn't sure if he was afraid she would get to far away, or if he just wanted to show, in some discreet way, they were a 'real' couple. Mac wasn't interested in stopping this contact, either. She enjoyed this attention he showed her. This light touch was something he had done for years, even during their worst times. For so long she had never really noticed, but, she now realized it was one of the many non-verbal signals Harm used to indicate his feelings.

He guided her to the passenger side of the SUV. "No you don't, Sailor!" she exclaimed. "It's my turn to drive. That was the deal." She gave him that 'no nonsense' look for which she was famous.

"I thought you might want to look at your book more, Mac." Harm replied defensively.

"But if you want to drive…"

She brushed a kiss on his cheek and smiled. "I do, but I need to make a stop before we get to Annapolis. This is something I really need to do, Harm.You'll understand, I know you will…"

"OK, Sweet Thing." He walked her around to the driver's door, holding the door for her as she slid into the seat. She turned and placed the scrapbook lovingly in the back seat, next to Harm's Dress Whites. Harm slid into the passenger seat, adjusting it to his tall frame. He looked over to Mac and smiled. "This is definitely going to be a "his & hers' vehicle family", he thought and shook his head. "I just said that out loud, didn't I?"

Mac smiled as she pulled out onto the street. "Do you mean the part about 'his & hers' or the part about 'family'?" She didn't say any more, just letting Harm think about what he'd thought out loud. They had both often thought about family. That was her reasoning behind this little side trip she need to make.

Harm was afraid he'd said something wrong. "Sarah," he said in almost a whisper. "I don't want things to be 'yours' or 'mine', I just meant that readjusting seats all the time could get to be really frustrating. I, um, I, uh, I didn't …"

"Harm, I know what you meant", she replied, smiling at the 'little boy in trouble' look on his face. "And you are right. We'll just decide later which of us drives the 'family' car."

At that, both of them settled into a sweet silence, as Mac drove. She reached over and placed her hand on Harm's knee. He responded by placing his hand atop hers and placing a tender kiss on her cheek. He wanted to ask her where she was doing, but he knew these streets. He had traveled them at least once a year since his first year at the Academy. The first time he came to this spot it was a construction site. But he knew this place. This spot held a place in his heart that had made him into the man he was today. He looked over at Mac as she found a parking place for the SUV. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. As a small tingle burned his own eyes, he managed to ask, "Why, Mac?"

Mac swallowed hard. "I need to talk to someone here," she said as she opened the door and got out. He exited the vehicle, walked around and took her hand.

"Can I come along?" he asked as he touched a small tear, before it trickled down her cheek. She nodded but did not reply. They continued to hold hands as they walked toward the dark granite wall, neither of them saying a word, but both of them speaking volumes. As they reached the immense structure, Mac stopped. She looked at Harm with those dark brown eyes and he knew that this was as far as he could go for the moment. He squeezed her hand, kissed her lightly, and nodded his head.

Mac smiled at him and said, " I've got something I have to do, by myself…" She continued on to The Wall. She knew exactly where to look, and finding the name, she traced it with her fingers, as she had seen Harm do on more than one occasion.

**Lt.Harmon Rabb,Sr.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Lt.Harmon Rabb, Sr." Mac spoke softly, almost a whisper. She continued to tenderly trace the name on the granite wall with her finger. She reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a small picture, the one of her and Harm in Afghanistan. She gently stuck it onto the Wall near the name. She smiled. "Lt. Rabb, sir, Dad…" Those words flowed easily from her mouth. "Can I call you that, sir? I'm Sarah, Sarah Mackenzie, but I think maybe you know that…I'm going to marry your son, Harm, today. I think you know that, too. I just want you to know how much he means to me, how much I love him, and I plan to live the rest of my life with him. He's a wonderful man. You had a lot to do with that, sir. You've been such an important part of his life… I know you are proud of him because I know I am. He's my best friend and my soul-mate. He's been there for me when no one else has. Gave up his Naval career for me once. And I want to be there for him. I'd follow him to Hell and back, sir…To Hell and back. I want to give him all the things he wants out of life, a home, a family…I don't know if I can, but I want to give him children…he'll make a great father."

Tears slid down Mac's cheek as she turned her head to look back at Harm and reach her arm out to him. He had been standing close enough to hear some of what she had been saying. His eyes swam with tears as he stepped closer to her. He stood behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist. He reached up to touch the picture Mac had placed in the Wall before wrapping his other arm around her. He smiled at her and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"Dad, I guess you've met Mac, Sarah.Yeah, she's The One. I've told you about her. She followed me to Russia, Dad.Not once, but twice." Mac placed her hands on Harm's and smiled. "She's the one who found me in the Drink. I'm going to marry Mac, Dad.I know you'll approve. I gave her the engagement ring you gave Mom. She said you'd understand. Mac's my world. She's what keeps me from flying off the edge of the world. Dad, I want to spend the rest of my life with this Marine. " Harm took Mac's hand in his and reached up to the cold granite. Together they traced the name one more time. The letters took on unusual warmth as they did so. The wind fluttered Mac's hair, just a little, and they both would have sworn they heard Lt.Harmon Rabb, Sr. say 'Semper Fi! Go Navy!' Harm and Mac looked at one another knowing, as they often did, what they other thought.

Mac reached up to give Harm a kiss. Not one of those little kisses that they had shared so often that day, but one deep and strong, yet truly tender. When the kiss finally broke, Mac smiled and said softly, "I think I've just been given your Dad's blessing." Harm brushed away another little tear from his Marine's cheek.

Still standing on this hallowed spot, Harm took Mac's hand in his. As they looked into each other's eyes and then at the name of Harm's Father on the Wall, Mac softly spoke. "I, Sarah MacKenzie, take you, Harmon Rabb, Jr, to be my husband…

"And I, Harmon Rabb, Jr., take you, Sarah MaKenzie, to be my wife…

Again a slight breeze ruffled Mac's hair as Harm wrapped his arms around her and drew her closer to him before looking again at his Father's name. Mac knowingly smiled and nodded. She placed a kiss on her fingers and touched the letters etched in granite. Even though neither of them was under cover, they both snapped to attention, saying, "Aye,aye,Sir",saluted. and executed a crisp 'About Face'.

Together, arm in arm, they walked slowly back to the SUV. Standing in front of the vehicle, Harm held Mac in his arms, gazing deeply into those amazing chocolate eyes. "Thank you, Sweet Thing, for sharing your day with my father." Said Harm, just as his cell phone began to ring.


End file.
